ipl-logo

Greasy Lake Summary

544 Words3 Pages

“Greasy Lake” by T.C. Boyle follows a group of well read college students desperate to portray themselves as hardened badasses by drinking cheap alcohol and cruising around town till the break of dawn. On the third night of summer vacation, the boys fid themselves at Greasy Lake going toe to toe with a shady character they mistakenly identified as a friend. The ever-worsening situation results in the shady individual collapsing from a tire iron to the head, sending the group of boys into a destructive fervor. The boys narrowly escape persecution from a group of true greasers by plunging into the woods and waters of Greasy Lake where the narrator brushes shoulders with a water logged carcass and emerges changed by his experience. “Greasy Lake’s” …show more content…

Only when the narrator finds himself bumping shoulders with a floating body in Greasy Lake does he feel “the tug of fear” (5) and the darker side of the persona he attempted to take on. “Greasy Lake” is written in 1st person point of view. The narrator is a college age boy whose use of “I” such as “I blundered into something” (4) and “I don’t know how long I lay there” (5) shows that the story is seen through his perspective. The use of 1st person in “Greasy Lake” better allows the reader to understand the complex emotions and viewpoints of the narrator. The narrator’s constant allusions to things only well educated people would recognize such as “Virgin Spring” (4) shows that despite portraying himself to others as a hardened rebel, he is an intellectual with a strong educational background.
Had “Greasy Lake” been written in 3rd person it would not possess the same level of intimacy. In 1st person the narrators unreliability is highlighted in a way that 3rd person cannot. The reader would lose the ability to distinguish between the narrators outward persona and his inner self. An example of this is when the narrator expresses that he keeps a tire iron under his seat because thats what “bad characters” (6) did. Without this insight the narrator would be painted as a true badass, instead of the poser that he truly

Show More
Related

Annie Dillard's 'Nightwatch': Pilgrim At Tinker Creek

933 Words | 4 Pages

In “Nightwatch”, a chapter of the novel Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard guides the reader through an experience with migrating eels, creates vibrant mental images, and involves the readers with her own thoughts. This is all accomplished through the use of rhetorical strategies, namely diction, figurative language, syntax, and imagery; these elements culminate in Dillard’s intense, guiding tone that involves the readers with the eel experience. Diction is vital to creating Dillard’s fervent and guiding tone throughout “Nightwatch.” The use of gruesome and detailed words like “milling… mingling” and “seething… squirming, jostling,” causes the reader to erupt in silent shivers.

Read More

Literary Elements And Techniques In Tim Winton's Breath

508 Words | 3 Pages

In Tim Winton's novel Breath, the narrator's complex response to the incident at the riverbank is represented through the use of literary elements and techniques. Through the use of vivid imagery, the juxtaposition of different emotions, and the careful building of tension, Winton shows how the narrator's initial sense of duty and responsibility towards saving a drowning boy quickly turns into a mixture of guilt and glee, as he realizes that he and his friend Ivan Loonie have been playing a cruel prank on the panicked onlookers. Winton uses vivid imagery to create a clear picture of the riverbank scene, allowing the reader to feel as if they are right there alongside the narrator. The description of the "brown" and "cold as hell" river, the "big old gums" and the "dragonflies in the air above us" help to create a sense of place and atmosphere, while the image of the panicked women "slithering up and down the bank" and "yanking at their own ears" adds to the tension and urgency of the situation.

Read More

In The Lake Sparknotes

871 Words | 4 Pages

Fausto Cercignani once said, "A secret remains a secret until you make someone promise never to reveal it." In The Lake by Natasha Preston, two girls, Esme and Kayla, promise to keep a secret from when they are about 9 years old at an old summer camp. They accidently set fire to the woods around their camp and not only were the trees burned but so was a little girl and that little girl wants revenge. They head back to that same summer camp ten years later and the secret they promised never to speak a word about was revealed and it was torturing them and the rest of the camp. The girl, Lillian, was painting harsh messages on walls, leaving dead animals in the food hall, and messing with the trails.

Read More

Greasy Lake Essay

660 Words | 3 Pages

Although the narrator considers himself a “bad character” (Boyle 79) he quickly realizes that he is “in a lot of trouble” (Boyle 78). After the narrator hits the “bad character” (Boyle 79) with a tire iron, more angry characters arrive at Greasy Lake, causing the narrator and his friends to separate and hide. The young boys did not feel safe to come out of hiding in the presence of the angry characters. That is, until the morning after the greasy character and the others have completely destroyed his mother’s

Read More

Symbolism In Dominick Grace's Greasy Lake

599 Words | 3 Pages

When reading the short story, the first symbol the reader acknowledges is the title and how it is used to draw the setting. “Greasy Lake” gives us the vibe of how “it may be a party site, but it is associated with decay and destruction” (Grace 3). As Dominick Grace states, “the title “Greasy Lake” gives Boyle the chance to create an unpredictable atmosphere” (3). By creating an unpredictable setting, the reader is able to predict what consequences are to come as the narrator and his friends go on their “bad” adventure. Boyle makes the story more realistic when the events become more dangerous.

Read More

Theme Of Greasy Lake

291 Words | 2 Pages

Everyone goes through the transition from childhood to adulthood. Boys become young men, and girls become young women; this is a significant stepping stone in the “journey to maturity.” Of course, becoming mature does not happen over night. Instead, it is a long process of learning from experience, which gives the young adult a new outlook on life and a new set of skills. The initiation theme is discussed in the article “Greasy Lake,” by critic Dennis Vanatta who argues that the author T.C. Boyle has created a narrator who is reflecting on his youth and an evening that would prove to be his stepping stone in the journey to maturity.

Read More

The Setting In Tom Boyle's Greasy Lake

847 Words | 4 Pages

Tom Boyle did a great job in the writing and describing the setting in the story “Greasy Lake”. The words he uses and the way he puts together his sentences makes it easy for the reader to visualize the setting. The setting in Greasy Lake makes you feel as if you were there and the description makes it seem as if it were not long ago. Boyle described everything from what they wore to the feeling of touching a floating dead body. The setting of this story is very important because the time period sets the tone of the story.

Read More

Conflict In Greasy Lake

1281 Words | 6 Pages

People learn from the mistakes they make; Sometimes it takes many mistakes for someone to learn a lesson. In T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake”, “bad” boys take on many conflicts which ultimately lead to them to realize they are not who they believe they are. The boys would always go on late night car rides while drinking, in search of something “bad” to do. The three boys eventually found a friend’s car, or so they thought. Thinking it would be funny, they decided to mess with the wrong person.

Read More

Dewey Dell Character Analysis In As I Lay Dying

1140 Words | 5 Pages

Character Analysis in As I Lay Dying As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner has remained a fairly controversial and intriguing novel when it comes to analysis. It’s “stream of consciousness” style, extensive amount of narrators, and fragmented format leave much available for differing analysis. With the overwhelming amount of narrators comes several pivotal characters. In turn, investigating characterization becomes a popular form of analysis for this work.

Read More

Rough Waters Summary

511 Words | 3 Pages

Summary of Rough Waters Rough waters is a book written by S.L. Rottman. Rough Waters is a “Heart-Wrenching (from back cover and my opinion)” adventure story. Rough Waters was published in 1997 and takes place in Buena Vista, CO (AP). Rough waters is a book for adolescents ( from back cover). Rough Waters is not a bestseller and S.L. Rottman is the author of Hero.

Read More

Point Of View In Grendel And Beowulf

1008 Words | 5 Pages

Through the eyes of an author, there could be many ways to write a story, but their goal is to pick the best way the story would be told. Many times authors who write in the third person perspective, lack major details about how the main character feels; but when written in the first person point of view, it allows the reader to interpret the tone through the character's feelings because the character expresses their thoughts and actions in deeper detail. The book Grendel by John Gardner, engages the reader in a first person point of view, allowing the reader to further analyze the main characters views on society, thoughts on the attack on the mead hall, and the final battle: on the contrary, the epic poem, Beowulf, tells the same story in

Read More

Analysis Of T. Coraghessan Boyle's Short Story Greasy Lake

775 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story “Greasy Lake” the narrator’s Thoughts,

Read More

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane Analysis

1008 Words | 5 Pages

The scene then changes to the narrator’s childhood, a lonely one at it. “I lay on the bed and lost myself in stories,” he says, “I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway.” The main narrative starts as he recalls a

Read More

The Sniper Analysis

1187 Words | 5 Pages

However, only seeing through the protagonist’s eyes, would cause the reader to be unable to see the big picture. Third person single vision is the only point of view that would work for Liam O’Flaherty’s short story, “The Sniper,” because the protagonist needs to be tough as he is fighting at war. Employing an outside narrator, or “a voice created by the author to tell the story,” to provide extremely descriptive details about the sniper’s appearance and subtle details about his surroundings is how

Read More

Connotation In The Horse Dealer's Daughter

1122 Words | 5 Pages

Lastly the setting of the pond where Mabel tries to kill herself is described as foul, earthy, and suffocating (Lawrence 460) . This is

Read More

More about Greasy Lake Summary

Related Topics

Open Document